I haven't tried the Z6, but I have a Z5 and can offer some impressions.

The glass is great; good color, great clarity, great low-light capability, especially considering that it is a 1 inch tube.

It's also a very light weight scope, especially good if you are counting ounces.

The one thing that might be a drawback is that the turrets have limited range for adjustment. Not surprising for a 1 inch tune, but if you get the Z5 I would recommend that you get the BRX/BRH reticle and plan to hold over rather than dial. If you really want to dial, get the Z6 (but it will be heavier)

I've got a Z5 5-25x52 with the BRX reticle on my Tikka T3 .223 Varmint rig. It is mostly used for 100- and 200-yard distances (maybe sometimes 300) thus no worry about vertical adjustment. And the .223 has little recoil so I know it is not getting beat to death. Ideal match and is dead on target, would take it anywhere to shoot. I looked through the Z6 and Z6i and saw little difference as far as optical quality goes. But for nearly a thousand dollars more, I am sure the Z6 is better.

But for the money, the Z5 at $1,680 new is a great deal. I also tried the BT setup with the 5W reticle and it too was nice, but the BRX reticle for target shooting is spot on.

Can't compare the two but I have a Z5 3.5-18x44 BT 4W. It is a great scope, very light, very clear and good low light scope especially for a 44mm objective. The 50mm of the Z6 might give you a few extra minutes in the morning and evening. I'll be elk hunting this winter in New Mexico and the Z5 will be on my backup rifle (the new March 52mm will be on my primary). The backup rifle is an ultralight rig and the Z5 with Talley mounts really suits this application.

I have a z5 5-25X. Recently I had an opportunity to compare it with a z6 3-18X. I put them both on 18X and tried to read something on a target 100 yards away. I couldn't tell any difference. I asked the owner if he would do the same thing and he agreed he couldn't tell any difference, also.

So for about the same weight and hundreds of dollars less you can get one with more magnification and the same performance.

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